Cliff Lee and the Top 10 MLB Stars Who Have Signed for Less Than Market Value
When Cliff Lee signed with the Philadelphia Phillies for five years and $120 million earlier this offseason, he left a little bit of money and a couple years on the table.
The Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees both would have given Lee more money and seven years on a contract.
But Lee felt more comfortable in Philly, so he gave them a discount (though once you are over $100 million, what's it matter if you make an extra $10 million?).
Lee certainly isn't the first baseball player who has left money on the table during contract negotiations.
Here are the top 10 Major League Baseball players of all time who have signed for less than they were worth.
10. Mike Lowell
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Lowell took a discount to stay with the Boston Red Sox back before the 2008 season.
He signed a three-year, $37.5 million contract with Boston instead of a four-year, $50 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
In retrospect, the Phillies should be glad Lowell stayed in Boston, since he just retired after his three-year deal was up.
He's also been much less productive the past two seasons.
9. Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell
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Biggio and Bagwell, the "Killer B's," defined an era for the Houston Astros.
Their selflessness and teamwork helped make the early 2000s one of the most prosperous times in Astro history.
Either one of them could have made more money if they had left the low budget Astros, but neither of them wanted to leave something they had worked so hard to create.
8. Kirby Puckett
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When Puckett signed a five-year, $30 million contract back in 1992, it was the second most lucrative contract in baseball history.
He could have done even better if he had signed with the Mets, Yankees or Red Sox, but he loved playing in Minnesota.
As is the case with many players on this list, loyalty came before riches when it came to signing a new contract.
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7. Mariano Rivera
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Mo was offered a boatload of money by the Boston Red Sox this offseason, but stayed true to the Yankee pinstripes.
The offer from the Yankees was less money, but not an insult by any stretch of the imagination. It was a very fair deal for both sides.
He could have gone for the money, but he chose to stay in New York, the city where he made a name for himself as one of the best closers of all time.
6. Tony Gwynn
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Even though he had a ridiculously high batting average, Tony Gwynn only made about $4.5 million per year.
That seems kind of low for a guy who finished his career with over 3,000 hits, right?
The reason for that is Gwynn was never going to leave San Diego, and every other team in the league knew that, so they never made offers for him.
Therefore, he was paid whatever the Padres felt was fair.
5. Chipper Jones
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In a story on ESPN.com, Jones explained why he didn't leave Atlanta to take more money elsewhere:
"Nowadays, so many players play the game for the 1st and 15th [pay days], but I never have," he said. "Certainly, I want to be compensated fairly for what I do, but I wasn't going to hold the organization over a barrel. And I never wanted to be a player who makes so much money that we can't stay competitive on the field. That was my main concern."
That pretty much sums up Chipper Jones as a ballplayer and a person.
4. Ken Griffey, Jr.
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Griffey could have made several million dollars more if he had signed with a team other than the Cincinnati Reds.
But, he really wanted to play for the Reds since that's the team he grew up around during his father's days in Cincy.
So, he gave the Reds a discount (though he still signed a nine-year, $116.5 million contract).
Thus began nine injury plagued seasons for Junior.
3. Mark McGwire
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When McGwire was traded from the Oakland A's to the St. Louis Cardinals, he just wanted to showcase his talents for the rest of the National League so he could sign a lucrative deal with a new team that offseason.
But, he fell in love with St. Louis.
So, while he could have signed a ridiculous contract with whatever team he wanted, he chose a reasonable deal with the Cardinals.
The rest is history.
2. Cliff Lee
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Yes, Lee could have signed with the Yankees or Rangers for one more year and more guaranteed money.
But, he chose to go back to the city where he felt the most comfortable: Philadelphia.
Now, he's part of one of the best rotations in recent history with Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels.
1. Albert Pujols
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Four years after Alex Rodriguez signed his 10-year, $252 million deal with the Texas Rangers, Albert Pujols signed a seven-year, $100 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Pujols definitely could have gotten more money if he wanted to leave St. Louis. He also probably could have squeezed more money from the Cardinals if he wanted to.
But, he chose to sign a reasonable deal to stay with the team that gave him his shot.
After the 2011 season, his contract will be up again. How much will it cost for the Cardinals to keep Pujols this time?
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